Camera apps are essential to the smart phone user, not only for those who like to share, but those who want to ensure the highest quality image is captured.  After all, we may not always have our cameras on hand, but we'll always have our smart phones ready for quick draw!

Instagram, Free (filters)

Instagram is the hippest of the camera filter crew at the moment, not just for its many filters, but for easy social media sharing capabilities.  It doesn't hurt that Instagram is also free; you won't find another app of this caliber within the free download bin.

Magic Shutter, $2.99 (long exposure)

Long exposures used to be the realm of the manual camera, but no longer! Basically, Magic Shutter keeps your light collecting sensor open longer than normal, which allows you to pick up images in low light where you wouldn't be able to before. 

Pro HDR, $1.99 (combining exposures)

Even for those that aren't HDR superfans, this app is a great backup for creating images where you would need multiple exposures for it to look good.  Hint: imagine someone standing beside a window; either outside the window would look too bright, or inside would be far too dark. This app combines three or more images to create a balanced photo automatically. 

Iris Photo Suite, $1.99 (editing)

Iris is a fairly powerful editing tool; you can replace colors, create double exposures, blend images or layer with texture in addition to the expected contrast, brightness, etc.  It features an easy drag feature so you can toggle multiple options on a single screen to create your best photo. 

Photoshop Express, Free (editing)

For the most basic edits, Photoshop Express is just the thing. For simple edits like cropping, exposure adjustment and noise control, this freebie will do the trick, but it won't give you much in the way of more intuitive editing. 

Pano, $1.99 (panoramic stitching)

Not only can you stitch together multiple images to create a seamless panoramic photo, but Pano allows you to have a higher resolution image (up to 800 x 6800). Shooting landscapes and family portraits on your phone will never be the same! 

Montage, $1.99 (collage editing)

For the collage lover, Montage is perfect for combining elements of photos, text and supplied images to slice and dice your pictures.  One cool aspect is you can save images in layering format, so you can go back and change your work if you feel the need. 

Touch Retouch, $0.99 (removing unwanted elements)

This app is, hands down, one of the coolest ones we've come across: you can remove unwanted things or people from your photos with a few finger taps. Just think of all those travel photos you have in your albums where you wish you could pluck all of the other tourists out..  

FX Photo Studio, $0.99 (filters)

FX is basically Instagram on steroids; they have 187 photo filters available within a single app. With a clean design and easy usage, this app is a win, especially for under a dollar. 

Autostitch Panorama, $1.99 (stitching)

For those who wish to do their panoramic stitching at a later time after shooting, or want a thicker image rather than a super long one, Autostitch Panorama is just what you need. 


What are your go-to photo apps? Share your favorite photo app, or better yet, share your cool travel photos with us via our Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ pages.